AVA, Mo. — Smokey Bear made several appearances in local Christmas parades over the holidays. He wants everyone to know Forest Service firefighters continue preparation work for prescribed burning throughout the winter—doing everything they can to prevent wildfires. He also asks that everyone does their part by being fire safe. Also, this winter, construction of a new helibase on the Houston/Rolla/Cedar Creek Ranger District has begun. This new base of operation for the Mark Twain National Forest’s helicopter and helitack crew will increase the Forest’s wildland firefighting readiness.
Contractors have started work on site preparation and timber stand improvement on the Willow Springs unit. They will also be cutting cedar in the Garrison area of the Ava unit.
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is testing deer for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in Stone County. Over the past two years, three deer testing positive for CWD have been harvested by hunters near Table Rock Lake in Stone County. MDC is partnering with the US Forest Service on this sampling effort and will soon reach out to work with Stone County private landowners located in CWD core areas to see if they too would like to take part in these culling efforts. Winter culling operations are set to begin January 16 and will run through March 15. All deer culled will be tested for the disease and the processed meat from those deer in which CWD is not detected will be returned to the landowner or donated to the Share the Harvest program to help feed Missourians in need.
To learn more about this CWD operation, join the virtual public meeting set for 7:00 p.m. on Monday, January 4, 2021. Please email Warren.Rose@mdc.mo.gov for more information and a link to join the virtual meeting.
The Ava office is cognizant of the impact of the Coronavirus and is taking precautions locally. Office staff are assisting visitors to the office outdoors, as much as possible, or by telephone. Access into the buildings is limited and a mask must be worn.
The Ava and Cassville office will be closed New Year’s Day, January 1, and in recognition of Martin Luther King’s birthday, the offices will be closed January 18. If you have any questions regarding the listed activities, please feel free to call the Ava District Office at 417-683-4428.
